Lei Jun goes all out: personally livestreamed for 15 hours, only one charge during the 1,265-km Beijing to Shanghai trip with the new-generation Xiaomi (小米) SU7

Lead: a public endurance test — and a rebuttal

It has been reported that Xiaomi (小米) founder and CEO Lei Jun (雷军) will personally livestream a long-range endurance test of the new-generation SU7, driving from Beijing to Shanghai — a reportedly 1,265-kilometre route — in a single broadcast expected to last about 15 hours. Lei has said he will participate for the full run and show the charging stops live. Can one charge really carry a production EV that far? The claim has become a flashpoint in debates over electric-vehicle range and corporate marketing in China.

What Lei Jun says and why critics pushed back

Lei previously told viewers in January that he had driven a near-complete Beijing–Shanghai segment and that the SU7 required only one mid-journey charge during a roughly 1,300 km run, a statement that he said stunned him. He also pointed to the SU7 standard model’s CLTC (China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle) figure of 835 km. Critics and some media outlets interpreted earlier clips as an overclaim and accused Xiaomi of exaggeration; Lei has blamed coordinated online attacks and “water army” smear campaigns. It has been reported that he will use the forthcoming livestream to present an uncut, continuous video record to counter accusations of deceptive marketing.

Broader context: testing cycles, trust and geopolitics

Range numbers in China are often higher under CLTC than under WLTP or the U.S. EPA cycles used in Europe and North America, a technical distinction that adds confusion for overseas observers and buyers. Xiaomi’s pivot into electric vehicles comes as Chinese EV makers expand aggressively at home and abroad, even as they face heightened scrutiny over testing standards and marketing claims. Regulatory pressures and geopolitical tensions — from export controls to scrutiny of vendor claims in overseas markets — mean transparency is not just a PR issue but a commercial necessity.

Whether Lei’s marathon livestream will settle doubts remains to be seen. If Xiaomi can demonstrate a near-single-charge long-distance run under verifiable conditions, it will bolster the company’s credibility in a crowded market. If not, expect critics to amplify the fallout. It has been reported that viewers will be watching closely.